Current State

Cross-border e-commerce in 2026 is brutally competitive. But competition doesn’t mean no opportunity — it means you need to pick the right direction.

My current setup:

  • Indonesia: Cash flow maintenance, no aggressive growth
  • US/Europe: Main battlefield, building the full pipeline from product selection to content to ads

Why TikTok Shop

  1. Traffic dividends still exist, especially in Western markets
  2. Content-driven, unlike Amazon’s pure ad-spend model
  3. Perfect for solo operators or small teams

Lessons Learned

  • Indonesia’s review process is strict — one wrong product description and you’re penalized
  • Video content is king, but production costs add up
  • Creator partnerships outperform self-made content

My Framework

  1. Product Selection: Skip trending items, find high-frequency necessities
  2. Content: AI-assisted script generation to cut costs
  3. Ads: Small budget testing, scale what works
  4. Review: Weekly data review, kill unprofitable products fast

What’s Next

Building an AI-powered automation system. Goal: one person running multiple product lines with minimal manual work.

Stay tuned for more real-world insights.